Brewers chat with Todd Rosiak

Friday, April 14 transcript

3rd & 7 37yd

3rd & 7 37yd

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Hey Todd,What is the point of rolling out Tommy Milone every fifth day? Are the Brewers reluctant to start Josh Hader's arbitration clock? Will we have to wait for late May before we see him in Milwaukee?

by Rolly4/14/2017 3:01:39 PM

Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining the chat. Brewers are 3-0 on the road; who'd have guessed that? As far as Tommy Milone, he's a short-term fill-in for Matt Garza. Assuming no further setback with Garza, he'll wind up starting four games. Josh Hader will be up at some point this season, but the Brewers believe he still has things to work on and improve upon at Class AAA Colorado Springs first. Starting his arbitration clock I'm guessing also is part of the equation.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:10:58 PM

Todd;

I understand that the season is only 10 games old but, considering how poorly Arcia is doing with the bat (in particular with RISP - zero hits - he has become a rally killer) do the Brewers have a Plan B at SS. Especially if he hasn't improved by say the end of May.

by OldPete4/14/2017 3:14:45 PM

The Brewers have several ways they could go at SS if Orlando Arcia is still struggling by the end of May, but that's still a long ways off. He's a young hitter who's off to a slow start. He'll be given a long leash, and he's got a terrific hitting coach in Darnell Coles working with him on a daily basis. I noticed his stance has changed somewhat; he begins with the bat on his shoulder in the box now. Perhaps a timing issue. The good news for the Brewers is his hitting struggles haven't carried over to the field. He's been tremendous out there so far.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:17:51 PM

How do you and Tom go about deciding who goes on what road trip? Draw straws? Flip a coin? Arm wrestle? Something else?

by Bobby4/14/2017 3:18:11 PM

A good question. Although arm wrestling would be fun, we actually just sit down and go over the schedule month by month and try to work it out so that it's equitable for both -- particular trips we might want to take, getting a weekend off here and there, etc. I wish there was a way I could get him to cover every game at Wrigley Field each season, but I haven't figured how yet.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:21:35 PM

Scooter Gennett referenced that there are no cliques in the Reds locker room. Was he also in effect saying that the Brewers have an issue with cliques?

by Merton4/14/2017 3:21:44 PM

I've seen quotes from him like that in several stories since the Reds picked him up. Found it interesting. As reporters we're only in the clubhouse a limited amount of time each day, so it's hard to discern those types of things. It's not uncommon for certain players to break off into groups at times and play cards in the afternoon. I wouldn't call that clique-y.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:25:50 PM

I don't understand the trade of Damien Magnifico. He has a high octane fastball. What's the knock on him?

by Edd4/14/2017 3:25:54 PM

Magnifico does indeed have a nice fastball, but the control has been lacking throughout his career. Perhaps a fresh start with Baltimore will do him some good. The Brewers, meanwhile, picked up more money to spend on young, international talent. That fits their rebuilding plan perfectly.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:28:48 PM

Couldn't the Brewers veto Villar's decision to play in the WBC so he could spend that time learning how to play second base instead of sitting on the bench for the DR? He makes Rickie Weeks look like Brooks Robinson, and his base-running (when he gets on with his .176 average) is atrocious! How soon before he is benched for good?

by Fred from Grafton4/14/2017 3:29:00 PM

They could have. But there was also no way to guess that Villar would play so little for the DR in the WBC. Hernán Pérez wound up in a similar situation playing for Venezuela. As for Villar, he's definitely off to a slow start -- the defense has been bad at second base, he's been striking out a bunch and the baserunning mistakes have continued. But he's also coming off a big 2016. I'd say wanting to bench him 10 games into 2017 is a little much.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:35:02 PM

Todd great work to date. What other team in baseball history has either traded away or given up without trying to sign over 80 home runs? I'm talking about Davis and Carter. Has that ever happened in the whole history of baseball? Thanks again.

by Danny Mistle4/14/2017 3:35:29 PM

The decision to part with Chris Carter has been covered a bunch -- an aging, three-outcome first baseman making ~ $10 million on a rebuilding team doesn't make a lot of sense. The Khris Davis trade, however, can be questioned. It'd take some serious searching to find out the answer to your question so I'll just say if it has happened before, it couldn't have been more than once or twice.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:38:25 PM

If the Khris Davis trade wasn't the worst in Brewer history, then what was? Thank you.

by Ellen Barber4/14/2017 3:38:36 PM

Oh, there have been a few that would rank up there. Just off the top of my head they wound up pretty much giving away Gary Sheffield and Greg Vaughn, although they did get major-league talent back in return.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:41:41 PM

Todd - Its great to follow another Brewers' season! My question to you is are you aware of a Brewers' 'chat' type room available via jsonline or ? That sure makes watching the game even more enjoyable if we are able to share it with other Crew fans. Thanks in advance

by hoophead4/14/2017 3:42:45 PM

Hey Hoop, good to hear from you. Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you on this. Our gameday coverage continues to evolve, as you've seen, and we are now posting our tweets on JSOnline each game. I understand you enjoyed the banter with other fans, but hopefully you'll continue to check us out each day. Thanks.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:44:14 PM

Khris Davis was traded because he couldn't play defense. Jonathon Villar led the league in errors last year, and the Brewers were last in defense. Davis had nearly 50 home runs last year, and already has 4 this year. So far, Villar is a disaster in the field and at the plate. Why is Davis gone, and Villar is still here if defense is so critical to the rebuild?

by Bruce from Bayside4/14/2017 3:44:30 PM

Davis' defense played a role in the trade, but so did picking up a guy in Jacob Nottingham who projects as a possible starting catcher moving forward. Those guys don't grow on trees. The Brewers had coverage in LF by moving Ryan Braun back there, and it freed up RF for a possible young building block in Domingo Santana. That said, no question Davis has gone on to crush AL pitching. Even owner Mark Attanasio has mentioned that perhaps the Brewers perhaps pulled the plug on Davis too soon.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:46:43 PM

Todd,The Brewers tried to extend Jonathan Villar in the off season. I know the guy put up 20 home runs and 60 stolen bases last season, but is this the type of player you want to build for the future with? Base running mistakes, fielding mistakes and bad plate discipline are the negatives he brings to the table. It makes me wonder about the positive spin the Brewers are putting on this rebuild. What is your take?

by GaryM4/14/2017 3:47:10 PM

These early years in the rebuild are for taking long, hard looks at guys like Villar. He has a wealth of physical talent but also makes a lot of mistakes. So you let him play every day for an extended period of time and then after a while you begin to make real judgments. If it becomes apparent he's not a guy who's going to help toward the end of the rebuild, you move on. The good news for the Brewers is they have a wealth of middle-infield options in the minor leagues, beginning with Isan Diaz and Mauricio Dubon.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:50:02 PM

if the Brewers trade Ryan Braun, do you think pitching will be the major return?

by Packer Jeff4/14/2017 3:50:27 PM

Depends on who the eventual trade partner would be. But generally speaking, I'd think the Brewers would wind up with some pitching in exchange for Braun.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:51:02 PM

Hi Todd, on Saturday's first pitch against the Cubs, Villar took steps in the box like he was looking to slap, just like a fastpitch softball player would. Do you know if he is seriously considering this as part of his offensive arsenal and have you seen this with any other players in mlb try this?

by TJ4/14/2017 3:51:15 PM

I've seen players do that before. Nothing too unusual about it. If he started doing it every at-bat or every pitch, then it might become more of a story.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:52:48 PM

At what point are the Brewers able to stop regularly pulling players off the scrap heap and focus on the (good, young) players on their roster?

by Steve4/14/2017 3:53:00 PM

They're still in the "audition" phase of the rebuild. That'll continue for a while. If I were a fan I'd actually enjoy this part -- you get to see lots of different guys shuffled through, and every once in a while you hit on a keeper. In the meantime the young, talented guys will begin filtering up from the minor leagues. Patience continues to be the keyword. It's Year 2.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:54:39 PM

I saw Aaron Wilkerson pitch in spring training and was impressed. I think he has a chance to pitch for the Brewers as an end of the rotation or long reliever. What is your opinion of him?

by Edd4/14/2017 3:54:46 PM

The thing that's stood out about Wilkerson since he came over from Boston in the Aaron Hill trade is his strikeout numbers -- he averages more than one an inning. That means he has good stuff. He's opening in Class AA Biloxi this year after pitching in Class AAA Colorado Springs. The Brewers have said they'll consider jumping guys straight to the big leagues from there if it's warranted. If he has a strong first half down there, it'll be interesting to see what the next step will be for him.

by Todd Rosiak4/14/2017 3:58:21 PM

I've got to wrap it up here. Thanks to all for the questions, and sorry if I wasn't able to get to yours. The esteemed Tom Haudricourt will be up next for one of these in the coming weeks, so be sure to hit him up. Enjoy the game tonight, and the weekend...........TR